Tube forming machine



Sept. 5, 1933. E, CONTI TUBE FORMING MACHINE Filed Nov. 8, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 m a Mr W E H O v m6 Um Sept. 5, 1933. E. coNTI I TUBE FORMING MACHINE Filed Nov. 8. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 N 'N INVENTOR Q [age/m? (M/V ATTORNEYS Sept, 5, 1933.

E. CONT! TUBE FORMING MACHINE Filed Nov. 8. 1929" 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVAENTOR [age/2e (50/9 1 {BY a a ATTORNEYS Sept. 5, 1933. E. CONT] 1,925,791

TUBEFORMING MACHINE Filed NOV. 8, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTQR [age/MW.

ATTORN EYS Sept. 5, 1933. E. coN-n I 1,925,791

TUBE FORMING momma Filed Nov. 8. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Eye/166mb Patented Sept. 1933 UNITED STATES TUBE FORMING MACHINE Eugene Conti, Mount Vernon, N. '22, assignmto Alexander Herz, New Rochelle, N. Y.

Application November 8, 1922. Serial No. 405,565

- Claims,

The present invention relates to machines for forming paper tubes.

The invention contemplates the provision of mechanism for forming a continuous tube, and

5 mechanism for cutting off predetermined lengths thereof while the formed tube is being fed continuously forward from the forming'mechanism.

The speed of operation of machines of this character is usually limited by the speed at which 19 the cut-off mechanism can be effectively operated without unduly mutilating the tubes at the point of severing and without too great strain upon the cut-off mechanism or other parts of the machine.

The present invention has for provide an improved machine of this character having a cut-off mechanism which will be effective in use and which may be operated at high speed. i

Other objects and advantages of'the inven tion will appear hereafter.

The nature and objects of the invention will be better understood from a description of a particular illustrative embodiment thereof, and for 25 the purpose of such description reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the illustrative embodiment of the invention;

30 Fig. 1a is a detail showing the manner in which the strips of stock are fed to and wound upon the mandrel, and showing the relation of the strips to the winding tape;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 3 is an elevation looking at the opposite side of that shown in Fig. 2, and

Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive are detail views of the cut-off mechanism. do This illustrative embodiment of the invention includes a bed l5, which issupported by legs 16 and inturn sustains the operating parts of the machine. r

A mandrel, which is of the stationary type and round in cross-section, is supported, in substantially horizontal position, at one end only and is free at its other end. The support for this mandrel includes a post 1? rigidly associated with and extending upwardly from the bed 15. This mandrel 18 is mounted in the post for horizontal 5 adjustment and is secured in its various adjusted positions by means such as a set screw.

In order that the strips of stock may be wound upon the stationary mandrel to form a round tube, a bolster 20 is provided which extends transversely of the bed in a predetermined relaan object to.

tion to the mandrel, and beneath the same. Cross heads 21 and 22 extend upwardly from the ends of the bolster 20, and respectively support horizontally disposed pulleys 23 and 24, which are rigid with vertically downwardly extending shafts 30 25 and 26, having bearings in the cross heads and having rigid with their lower ends beveled gears 27 and 28, which mesh with similar gears 29 on a shaft 30. This shaft 30 extends longitudinally of the bolster and is supported adjacent the gears 29 in the cross heads 21 and 22, and at an intermediate point by a bearing 31, being actuated in a manner which will later be described.

A winding tape passes around the pulleys 23 and 2a with the reaches of the tape crossed between the pulleys. One reach 32 extends directly from. one pulley to the other, while the other reach 33 is wrapped about the mandrel several times so as to provide means for engaging and forming the strips of stock into the continuous tube. Tensioning rollers 34 are mounted adjustably on the cross heads 21 and 22, and engage the reach 32 of the winding tape. The disposi== tion of the bolster with relation to the mandrel is such that the turns of the reach 33 about the mandrel will, in the formation of the tube, re-v sult in the proper overlapping of the strips ofstock and the proper feeding of the tube of the diameter being made.

The pulleys 23 and 24 are actuated by the shaft '30 to draw the winding tape around the stationary mandrel. The shaft 30 receives its motion through the intermeshing of beveled gears 35 and 36, the latter being rigid on the shaft 30, and the former rigid with the gear 3'? which meshes with a similar but smaller gear 38 rigid with a shaft 39 extending through the bolster and having a bearing in the bed 15. The speedy of the shaft 36, and consequently the speed of rotation of the pulleys 23 and 24, may be varied by changing the ratio of the gears actuating the same. For instance the gears 37 and 38 preferably are so mounted that they may be removed and replaced by other gears to change the ratio between the same.

Thus the speed of the winding tape may be varied to accomm'odate it to the different conditions of the tube being formed. That is to say the slipping of the tape may be overcome and the rate of formation of the tube may be controlled without changing the rapidity of action of the related parts of the machine. Thus with the cut-off mechanism actuated-at a constant rate the gears 37 and 38 may be changed to cludes a carrier bar 18 which extends substan-' tially vertically from, and is rigid with, an extenchange the rate at which the tube is formed and fed to the cut-ofi mechanism. Consequently, the length of the cut-ad portion of the tube y Ice-varied.

A beveled gear 46 is rigid with the lower end of this shaft 39 and meshes with a similar gear ll on a shaft 42 which is supported in bearings 42", depending from the bed 15 of the machine. This shaft 42 extends longitudinally beneath the bed 15 so that it will be most conveniently located, not only for the actuation of the winding tape pulleys 23 and 24, but also for-the other units of the machine, as will later appear. This shaft 42 is actuated by the intermeshing of a beveled gear 43, which is rigid therewith, and a pinion 44 on a transverse pulley shaft 85. The shaft i5 is actuated by a belt which passes around the pulley 46 on the end of the shaft, and around the pulley on the commutator shaft of a motor 4'1, the motor conveniently being supported by a suitable frame extending between-the legs 16.

Means is provided for feeding strips of stock, such as paper, under tension to the mandrel in proper angular relation thereto, and supplied with the desired adhesive to cause the strips to adhere'to each other, and with a lubricant to reduce the friction between the mandrel and the strips as they are wound into a tube and fed from the mandrel in the form of a tube. This means includes mechanism for applying a lubricant to one of the strips, that is, the one which comes into direct contact with the mandrel, and includes also a mechanism for applying adhesive to the other strip so that when it is wound upon the previously wounddubricant-carrying strip it will adhere to the outer face thereof, and result in the formation of a rigid tube.

The embodiment of this means illustrated in sion 49 of the bed 15. This carrier bar is provided, both above and below the bed 15, with removable trunnions 50 which extend from both sides of the bar and through a guide 51, the latter being held in spaced relation to the bar. The trunnions 58 are adapted to support rolls 52 of strip stock, so that a pair of rolls will be disposed above the bed 15 and, if desired, a pair of rolls may be disposed below the bed 15.

By this arrangement, the um time will be consumed in threading new strips of stock to the mandrel after the strips from one pair of supply rolls are consumed. For instance, presuming that the strip stools is being fed from the upper supply rolls 52, shown in Fig. 2, the lower supply rolls 52 are in readiness to be threaded when the upper rolls 52 are exhausted.

Channeled guides 53 and 54 are mounted on suitable supports 53' and 54', above the'bed of the machine, and are arranged in suitable angular relationship to the mandrel to respectively accommodate the strips 55 and 56, which pass from the supply rolls beneath a guide roller 57. Each of these channeled guides is provided with a suitable tensioning device. These devices tension the strips as they pass to the mandrel and are wound into the form of a tube.

The strip 55 passes directly from the channeled guide 53 to the mandrel and forms the base of the tube on which the adhesive-coated strip 56 is wound. In order that the face of the strip 55 which contacts with the stationary mandrel may be lubricated to reduce the friction between the mandrel and the tube as the latter is formed and fed along the mandrel, I have enlarger" theend of the mandrel as at a, Fig. 1a, and extended from this enlarged end a lubricator '17, which is ar-' ranged in the path of travel of the strip 55 and has an upwardly facing opening '78 therein from which a lubricant such as oil flows to contact with the under surface of the strip. This lubricator '77 is supplied'with a lubricant from a reservoir '79 carried by the enlarged end 76 of the mandrel through a duct 80 in said enlarged end. The strip 56 which passes through the guide 54 is suitably gummed by means of an adhesiveapplying roll 61, Fig. 2, mounted on a shaft 62 and dipping into an adhesive-supply reservoir 68 supported on a standard 64 extending upwardly from the bed of the machine and inde pendent of the bolster 26. The rotation of the roll 61 is accomplished by means such as beveled gears 65 and 66. Fig. 1, the former being rigid with theshaft 62 and the latter with a vertical shaft 6'7, Fig. 2, which is actuated by intermeshing beveled gears 68 and 69; the gear 69 being rigid with the longitudinally disposed shaft 42.

The amount of adhesive carried by the roll 61 to the strip 56 as the latter passes over the roll may be controlled by means of a roller '70, which is rotated by intermeshing gears 72 and '73, the

former being rigid with the roller 75 and the latter with the shaft 62. This roller '70 is norlly drawn toward the roll 61 by springs 74, and against adjustable abutments by means of which the space between the roller 70 and the adhesive-applying roll 61 is controlled to thereby control the amount of adhesive applied to the strip 56 as it passes over the roll 61.

Thus the strip 55 is lubricated before it reaches the mandrel, and consequently the friction between the mandrel and the strip is reduced to a minimum; and the strip 56 is on its under surface coated with adhesive, so that when it is wound on the previously wound strip 55 it will adhere thereto and form a rigid tube.

As the formed tube is fed from the mandrel 18 it passes longitudinally of the machine and through a guide sleeve 81, which sleeve passes through and, is supported in the upper end of a vertically extending member 82. The member 82 conveniently is secured to one end of the bed 15.

In order that the tube, as it is continuously formed and fed from the mandrel 18 through the guide sleeve 81, may be cut into predetermined lengths without interrupting the continuous movement of the tube, and without distorting it, means is provided for severing the tube, which means operates very quickly while the tubev is moving. The embodiment of this means illustrated in the drawings includes a cutting blade 83 which operates in a path transverse to the direction of movement of the tube.

As shown in Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive, the cutting blade 83 projects upwardly from a carrier or shuttle 84 which is slidably mounted on a guide 85. The guide 85 extends transversely to, but displaced below the path of movement of the tube. Also mounted on the guide 85 are two sliding blocks 87 and 88, one on each side of the shuttle 8d. The guide 85 is secured at its ends to angular brackets 86 which, in turn, conveniently are mounted on the end of the bed 15. The arrangemerit is such that when the shuttle 84 is moved along the guide 85 the cutting blade 83 will trav erse the path of m vement of the tube adjacent the outer end of the guide sleeve 81.

Actuating means are provided for periodically propelling/the shuttle 84 along the guide 85 at a high rate-of speed, whereby the tube may be severed into predetermined lengths without distortion or buckling. Conveniently such actuating means includes the sliding blocks 87 and 88, which are used for alternately moving the shuttle 84 back and forth along the guide 85.

The sliding blocks 87 and 88 are connected, respectively, by means of pin and slot connections 89 and 90 with the upwardly extending arms of two rockers 91 and 92. Conveniently, the,

the horizontally extending arms of the rockers alternately gradually upward and rapidly downward. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the horizontally extending arms of the rockers 91 and 92 normally are biased downwardly, as by means of spiral tension springs 97 and 98 connected respectively between the rockers and the legs 16, and have at their ends cam followers 93 and 94 bearing on plate cams 95 and 96. as may be seen in Figs. 6 and 7, the follower 94 may be ofiset from the vertical longitudinal axis of the rocker 92 to permit the follower to track closely the cam surface.

As shown in the drawings, the cams 95 and 96 are mounted on one end of the shaft 42 which will be rotated by the driving motor when the machine is operating, as hereinbefore described. The cams may have the same shape, but are rotatably displaced about the shaft 42, relative to the cam followers 93 and 94, so that the movements of the rockers 91 and 92 are approximately 180 degrees out of phase, thereby insuring the cutting off of equal lengths of tube. As shown, each cam gradually lifts the arm of its corresponding rocker during approximately one half of a turn, and maintains the arms in lifted position during the second half of the turn. Upon the completion of the turn the rocker arm drops rapidly under the influence of its biasing spring to its lowermost position, and this cycle is repeated upon further-rotation of the cam;

Thus it will be seen that the operation of the cam and rocker mechanism causes one of the sliding blocks, for example 8'7, gradually to move outwardly to its outermost position on the guide 85, and thereafter the other sliding block 88 is moved rapidly from its outermost position a short distance along the guide 85 toward the sliding block 8'7. Further operation of the cam and rocker mechanism causes the sliding block 88 gradually to move outwardly to its outermost position on the guide 85, and thereafter the sliding block 8'7 is moved rapidly from its outermost position a short distance along the guide 85 toward the sliding block- 88.

It will be apparent that if, before operation of the mechanism is started, the shuttle 84 is moved adjacent the sliding block which is in its outermost position, the movement of the sliding blocks the embodiment disclosed, twice during each revolution of the shaft 42.

Means is provided for delivering the cut-off portions of the tube from the tube-severing mechanism. Conveniently such means comprisesa bracket 100 which extends outwardly from the upper end of the vertically-extending member 82 and carries a vertical plate 101. Guide fingers 102 extend from the upper edge of this plate 101 in substantially horizontal positions, and thence outwardly in spaced relation to the plate thus providing a delivery opening through which the cut-off portions of the tube will drop after having been cast against the plate. or the guide fingers during the cut-off operation, and guided downwardly between the plate and the fingers.

Summarizing the operation'of the machine, the strips 55 and 56 of the stock are fed to the stationary mandrel 18, the former supplied on its under face, that is, the face which contacts with the mandrel, with oil and the latter supplied on its under face, which engages the previously wrapped strip 55, with adhesive. The passage of these strips between the turns of the winding tape and the mandrel winds them into a continuous tube, and feeds the tube longitudinally of the mandrel to the cut-off mechanism, the cutting blade 90 of which latter mechanism intermittently traverses the path of movement of the tube and cuts the tube into predetermined lengths. These cut-off portions are guided by the delivery mechanism to a suitable receptacle or mechanism for subsequently operating on the tubes.

nism for moving the cutting blade across the path of movement of the tube.

2. In a tube forming machine, in combination, a mandrel, means for helically winding strips of material about the mandrel to form a substan tially rigid tube and for continuously feeding the formed tube from the mandrel, means for severing the formed tube into predetermined lengths comprising a guide transverse to and displaced from the path of movement of the tube, a shuttle movable back and forth along the guide, a

cutting blade on the shuttle, and means for moving the shuttle back and forth along the guide to cause the cutting blade to traverse the path of, movement of the tube at a high rate of speed, whereby the tube may be severed without distortion or buckling.

3. In a tube forming machine, in combination, a mandrel, means for helically winding strips of material about the mandrel to form a substantially rigid tube and for continuously feeding the formed tube from the mandrel, means for severing the formed tube into predetermined lengths comprising a shuttle mechanism, a cutting blade on the shuttle, and means for operating the shuttie to cause the cutting blade periodically to T traverse the path of movement of the tube at a high rate of speed, whereby the tube may be s evered without distortion or buckling.

4. In a tube forming machine, in combination,

a mandrel, means for helically winding strips of material about the mandrel to form a substanformed tube from the mandrel, means for sever ing the formed tube into predetermined lengths comprising a guide, a blade carrier movable along the guide, andactuating means for moving the blade carrier along the guide at a high rate of speed to cause the blade to traverse the path of movement of the tube, whereby the tube may be severed without distortion or buckling.

5. In a tube forming machine, in combination, means for forming and feeding a substantially rigid tube, a cutter mounted to traverse the path of, movement of the tube in a fixed plane, and means to actuate said cutter with sumcient rapidity to cause it tosever the tube without distorting or buckling the same, comprising a rocker having one of its ends in position for engagement with said cutter and its other end in engagement with a cam, said cam being shaped to cause a rapid motion of said rocker in cutter actuating direction.

6. In a tube forming machine, in combination, means for forming and feeding a substantially rigid tube, a cutter mounted to traverse the path of movement of the tube in a fixed plane, means to actuate said cutter with suilicient rapidity to cause it to sever the tube without distorting or buckling the same, comprising a rocker having one of its ends in position for engagement with said cutter and its other end in engagement with a cam, said cam being shaped to cause a rapid motion of said rocker in cutter actuating direction, and a spring attached to said rocker and biasing the same in cutter actuating direction.

7. In a tube forming machine, in combination,

means for forming and feeding a substantially rigid tube, a cutter mounted to traverse the path of movement of the tube in a fixed plane, means to actuate said cutter with sumcient rapidity to cause it to sever the tube without distorting or buckling the same, comprising a rocker having one of its ends in position for engagement with said cutter, and means for actuating said rocker with a rapid actuating stroke and a slower return stroke.

8. In a tube forming machine, in combination, means for continuously forming and feeding a substantially rigid tube, a cutter mounted to traverse the path of movement of the tube in a fixed plane, and means to apply successive impact blows to said cutter to cause the same to traverse the path of the tube at sumciently'high speed to sever the same without distortion or buckling.

9. In a tube forming machine, in combination. means for continuously forming and feeding a substantially rigid tube, a cutter mounted to traverse the path of movement of the tube in a xed plane, means to apply successive impact blows to said cutter to causethe same to traverse the path of the tube at sumciently high speed to sever the same without distortion or buckling, and means to bring said cutter to a stop after each severing operation, to permit the desired length of tube to be fed prior to the next severing operation.

10. In a tube forming machine, in combination, means for continuously forming and feeding a substantially rigid tube, a cutter mounted to traverse the path of movement of the tube in a fixed plane and cam controlled, spring actuated means to apply successive impact blows to said cutter to cause the same to traverse the path of the tube at sufficiently high speed to sever the same without distortion or buckling.

EUGENE CON'H. 

